Woman injured in Surfers manhole blasts
A woman has been injured after falling into a hole caused by an explosion at an Australian tourism hotspot.
Queensland Ambulance said a woman in her 20s fell into a hole created by an explosion in a manhole on Cavill Avenue at Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast about 5pm on Sunday.
The woman was pulled from the hole by bystanders before paramedics arrived to take her to Gold Coast University Hospital with minor injuries.
The explosion sparked an exclusion zone, with Queensland Police asking people to avoid Cavill and Elkhorn avenues, The Esplanade, and Surfers Paradise Boulevard.
“Members of the public are advised to avoid the area and those within the exclusion zone are asked to remain indoors until further notice,” police said about 6pm on Sunday.
Video circulating online shows the manhole acting like a trap door during an initial explosion when the women fell in, before a second explosion shortly after.
A couple having dinner when the explosion rocked the tourist strip said they weren’t allowed home for hours.
“We were sitting in a restaurant … and we heard a small explosion,” Beck and Dave Morrison told the Nine Network.
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“We just ordered dinner and then we heard another really loud explosion.
“Then the police cars and the fire trucks were here and we were told to evacuate immediately.”
Five fire crews responded to the incident, monitoring the scene and doing readings for gas in the area.
The cause of the explosion has not yet been identified.
The exclusion zone was revoked about 8pm. Police continue to investigate the incident.
